In the West, “whiskey is for drinking, water for fighting.” The fight over the water that flows in and out of Flathead Lake is just beginning. These waters deserve fighting for and over.

The Flathead watershed includes all the land that drains into Flathead Lake and the Flathead River — a vast area stretching west from the Continental Divide, east to the Salish Mountains, north into Canada, and south to the Clark Fork River to the south.

Waters from the headwaters in Glacier National Park, the “Bob,” and other wild lands flow together, nourishing our communities, forests, and farms and providing endless recreational opportunities. Flathead, Stillwater, Whitefish and Swan rivers contribute to creating the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes. This watershed drains 6 million acres of some of the most scenic landscapes imaginable.

The various valleys of the Flathead watershed were scoured by recurring glaciers, leaving a trail of alluvial and outwash deposits and glacial till. The glaciers formed many lakes, wetlands, floodplains, and wonderful Glacier National Park. The glaciers are almost gone as yearly snowpacks continue their downward spiral.

A healthy and viable Flathead watershed relies upon a feasible and healthy snowpack. The 2022-23 snowpack was neither. The 2023-24 snowpack is well below average as yearly precipitation continues to fall as rain rather than snow.

Besides lower water levels throughout the Flathead watershed, wildfire conflagration increasingly threatens the basin and northwest Montana. While not an exceptionally old man at 72, I remember the summers of my youth as relatively smoke-free and pleasant. Growing up in Whitefish, I cannot recall one house having air conditioning. Spring high school sports were played in cool, rainy weather. Baseball games throughout the spring and early summer were often played in the rain, with low, grey cover.

These cool springs and summers resulted in a viable snowpack that gradually released moisture through the summer into the watershed. Our streams, rivers, wetlands and lakes were healthy

The Montana summers of my old age are increasingly hot and smoky seasons spent indoors. My grandchildren are frequently forced indoors due to poor air quality. While we have plenty of whiskey nowadays, water in our snowpack continues to dwindle.

Rather than recognizing and collectively addressing or fighting this together, good-meaning people are taking sides and positions, often at odds with one another. The value of a full Flathead Lake in the summer is something that all of us want, but it will become more and more challenging to achieve unless meaningful solutions are forthcoming.

As the glaciers dwindle and snowpacks grow smaller each year, with less and less water stored in mountain snows throughout the Flathead watershed, fighting will grow. Rancor is already developing amongst Montanans and our communities. We must not let facts and science become the first casualty of this fight.

Two Montana newspapers, the Missoulian and The Daily Inter Lake, have provided timely and informative articles addressing these crucial issues. I write to encourage continuing this coverage as best they can, with limited staffing issues.

All Montanans need to be in this fight. As the Bible reminds us, fighting the good fight is one of the bravest and noblest of life’s experiences.

Tom Muri lives in Whitefish.

In a surprise move, the two lead chefs of Restaurant Aleksandar tells Eater Philly they’ve moved on to now head cuisine at the highly-anticipated Eleven Social in Old City that’s set to open this summer.

Montana Houston will be the executive chef of Eleven Social and Ja’mir Wimberly-Cole will be their chef de cuisine. The new restaurant, co-owned by Phillies legend Jimmy Rollins, is focused on contemporary New American cuisine. After nearly two years at the helm of the European-inspired cuisine of Restaurant Aleksandar in Rittenhouse Square, the two chefs say they’re looking forward to new opportunities.

“I’m honored and blessed to be able to showcase another side of my culinary talents at Eleven Social,” says Houston, age 27. “The past year has been filled with many surprises, and this role is just another sign to keep going.”

In December 2023, Houston was named Eater Philly’s Chef of the Year for “applying his flavorful approach to every dish” as Restaurant Aleksander’s executive chef. This June, he will be an Iconoclast Dinner Honoree chef at the James Beard House.

“Montana has invited me to join him at Eleven Social as his chef de cuisine and I’m thrilled to collaborate with him again,” says Wimberly-Cole, age 24. “We aim to create a contemporary New American fine dining experience, reminiscent of the wonderful dinner we had at Crown Shy during a trip in NYC.”

Wimberly-Cole, who was formerly the chef de cuisine at Restaurant Aleksander since its opening in August 2022, will also be launching the Modern Trail Supper Club this summer.

“The pandemic put my initial plans for the Modern Trail on hold, but I’m eager to revive it,” Wimberly-Cole says on “gathering insights and refining my vision for the club.” “I plan to host private dinners featuring themed menus inspired by various cookbooks and share my journey as a young chef exploring innovative techniques. My goal is to host these dinners monthly or bi-monthly.”

As for Eleven Social — located at 117 Chestnut Street (the former 2nd Story Brewing Company) — Houston says the menu will be looking at “the Afro roots of all the places, as well as highlighting the region’s culinary favorites.”

“It will be elevated cuisine at this new restaurant and big bold flavors without white table cloth,” Houston adds. “So all the good service and food of an upscale, high-end, fine dining restaurant without the stuffiness of having to wear suit jackets and sit a certain way.”

The new restaurant’s soft launch is currently slated for the third week of July (around the 15-18th).

RONAN, Mont., May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Montana Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: AIRJ) (“Montana Technologies”), the developer of AirJoule^®, a transformational atmospheric thermal energy and water harvesting technology, today announced its first quarter results.

Key Highlights

• Closed business combination (the “Business Combination”) with Montana Technologies LLC (“Legacy Montana”) and renamed the combined company “Montana Technologies Corporation”
  • $50 million minimum cash condition was exceeded by securing private investments led by Carrier Global Corporation (“Carrier”), Rice Investment Group, and GE Vernova, among other third parties (the “Capital Raise”)
  • Upon completion of the Business Combination, Montana Technologies’ common stock and warrants began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under new ticker symbols “AIRJ” and “AIRJW,” respectively
• Formed a joint venture with GE Vernova to advance and commercialize transformational air conditioning and atmospheric water harvesting products featuring AirJoule^® technology
  • The joint venture is led by Bryan Barton, formerly the Senior Director of Marketing, Ventures, and Incubation at GE Vernova
• Entered into joint commercialization agreement term sheets with Carrier to develop and commercialize the AirJoule^® dehumidifying and cooling technology for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) solutions in the Americas, Europe, India, and the Middle East
• Ended the quarter with $37 million of cash on the balance sheet

Executive Commentary

Matt Jore, Chief Executive Officer of Montana Technologies stated, “We are excited to have completed our Business Combination and for Montana Technologies to be listed on Nasdaq. This represents a critical milestone for the company and will enable us, along with our strategic partners, to focus on developing and deploying our atmospheric thermal energy and water harvesting systems worldwide as a response to climate change and water scarcity. In addition, the recently announced partnerships with GE Vernova and Carrier showcase how our proprietary AirJoule^® technology has been embraced by industry leaders; these partnerships will open our company and technology into two enormous target markets, HVAC and atmospheric water harvesting. We believe these actions place the company on a path to create a more equitable and sustainable future by fundamentally changing how we optimize increasingly scarce energy and water resources to create a better quality of life for all.”

Pat Eilers, Executive Chairman, stated, “Montana Technologies met the core criteria of a clean tech solutions provider we were searching for when we started the process with Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp. Montana Technologies, through its proprietary AirJoule® units, has created a transformational technology that provides significant energy efficiency gains in HVAC and atmospheric water harvesting applications, and it addresses two of the world’s most problematic issues, energy efficiency and water scarcity. We are thrilled to have completed this transaction, and I am excited to take on the role of Executive Chairman. I look forward to partnering with our newly announced management team to deliver value in the public markets.”

Commercialization Agreement with Carrier

On January 8, 2024, Legacy Montana and Carrier, a global leader in intelligent climate and energy solutions, announced that they had entered into a binding term sheet related to a commercial collaboration to develop and commercialize the AirJoule^® dehumidification and cooling technology. Subject to certain milestones, Legacy Montana granted Carrier the exclusive right to commercialize the AirJoule^® technology into HVAC equipment in the Americas for a period of three years. Legacy Montana, acting through an affiliated joint venture, also provided Carrier with a non-exclusive right to commercialize the AirJoule^® technology into HVAC equipment in Europe, India, and the Middle East.

Carrier also committed $10 million in growth equity to Legacy Montana, which was conditional upon the successful raise of at least $50 million in aggregate capital commitments. This condition was achieved with the successful Capital Raise that occurred in conjunction with the closing of the Business Combination in March 2024. Following the Business Combination, Montana Technologies expanded its Board of Directors with the appointment of Ajay Agrawal, Senior Vice President, Global Services, Business Development and Chief Strategy Officer at Carrier.

Joint Venture Agreement with GE Vernova

On January 29, 2024, Legacy Montana announced an agreement to form a joint venture with GE Vernova, a global leader in electrification, decarbonization, and energy solutions, to incorporate GE Vernova’s proprietary sorbent materials into systems that utilize Montana’s patented AirJoule^® dehumidification, air conditioning, and atmospheric water harvesting technology.

The AirJoule® technology utilizes advanced sorbents and a self-regenerating pressure swing adsorption system to harvest thermal energy and pure water from air. GE Vernova, a recognized leader in the development of advanced materials technology for industrial systems, also seeks to deploy novel sorbent-based solutions that can enable a zero-carbon emissions future. Incorporating GE Vernova’s sorbent innovations into AirJoule® technology will enhance the performance of the joint venture’s energy-saving HVAC components as well as its atmospheric water harvesting products.

The joint venture closed on March 4, 2024. In addition, GE Vernova made an equity investment in Montana Technologies in conjunction with the Capital Raise. GE Vernova’s Advanced Research team is providing support to the joint venture’s R&D function, and Bryan Barton, formerly the Senior Director of Marketing, Ventures, and Incubation at GE Vernova, joined the joint venture full-time as its Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Barton is currently focused on expanding the joint venture team, advancing AirJoule^® prototypes, and managing initial pilot projects with key potential customers for the HVAC components and atmospheric water harvesting products.

Completion of Business Combination

On March 14, 2024, Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp. (“XPDB”) completed the Business Combination with Legacy Montana, which was originally announced on June 5, 2023. Upon completion of the Business Combination, the combined entity was renamed “Montana Technologies Corporation,” and its common stock and warrants began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under new ticker symbols “AIRJ” and “AIRJW”, respectively.

In conjunction with the Business Combination, the Capital Raise, led by investments from Carrier, the Rice Investment Group, and GE Vernova, and, together with amounts from XPDB’s trust account, exceeded the $50 million cash required to satisfy the related closing condition.

Recent Additions to the Board of Directors and Management Team

As part of the XPDB shareholder approval of the Business Combination, XPDB shareholders elected the following individuals as directors of Montana Technologies:

• Pat Eilers, Founder and Managing Partner of Transition Equity Partners;
• Max Baucus, Former Ambassador to China and Six-Term United States Senator from the State of Montana;
• Paul Dabbar, Former Undersecretary of the Department of Energy for Science and current Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Bohr Quantum Technology;
• Matt Jore, Chief Executive Officer of Montana Technologies;
• Stu Porter, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Denham Capital; and
• Marwa Zaatari, Founder and Chief Scientist of D-Zine Partners

Subsequent to the completion of the Business Combination, the following individuals were appointed as directors of Montana Technologies:

• Ajay Agrawal, Senior Vice President, Global Services, Business Development and Chief Strategy Officer at Carrier Global Corporation; and
• Kyle Derham, Partner at Rice Investment Group

On May 7, 2024, Montana Technologies named Pat Eilers as Executive Chairman and appointed the following executives to its management team:

• Stephen Pang, Chief Financial Officer;
• Chad MacDonald, Chief Legal Officer; and
• Tom Divine, Vice President, Investor Relations and Finance

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q

Montana Technologies’ financial statements and related footnotes will be available in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, which is expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 20, 2024.

Investor Update Webcast

Montana Technologies has provided investors with an earnings call webcast. Interested parties may view the webcast by visiting the investor section of Montana Technologies’ website at www.mt.energy and clicking on the webcast link. 

About Montana Technologies Corporation

Montana Technologies Corporation is a publicly traded company that holds the intellectual properties that make up the AirJoule^® system, an atmospheric thermal energy and water harvesting technology that provides efficient and sustainable air conditioning and pure water from air. For more information, visit www.mt.energy.

Forward Looking Statements

The information in this press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, regarding Montana Technologies and its future financial and operational performance, as well as its strategy, future operations, estimated financial position, estimated revenues, and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward looking statements. When used in this press release, including any oral statements made in connection therewith, the words “could,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, Montana Technologies expressly disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements herein, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

Montana Technologies cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Montana Technology’s control. These risks include, but are not limited to, our status as an early stage Company with limited operating history, which may make it difficult to evaluate the prospects for our future viability; our initial dependence on revenue generated from a single product; significant barriers we face to deploy our technology; the dependence of our commercialization strategy on our relationships with BASF, CATL, Carrier, GE Vernova, and other third parties history of losses, and the other risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our SEC filings including in our Registration Statement (See Risk Factors) on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on April 11, 2024. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this press release occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Montana Technology’s SEC Filings are available publicly on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in such filings.

Contacts

Investor Relations
Tom Divine – Vice President, Investor Relations and Finance
[email protected]

Media:
Kekst CNC
[email protected] 

SOURCE Montana Technologies